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However, the fact that many people are looking for alternatives to free up their time from more routine tasks, not rewarding and / or simply not desirable but necessary, has emerged a whole new category of business and professionals: &lt;strong style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;The Virtual Assistants.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;What is a virtual assistant?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt; Well, she is someone who you hire to do for you anything you want to delegate and do not require her physical presence. And we would get surprised about &lt;strong style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;the amount of things we can do without being present&lt;/strong&gt;. And we would get even more surprised about the amount of stuff that we could really delegate to others and of which we do not realize.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;If you have calculated how much worth your time (for example, calculate what you earn each year for the hours you work, you can see your cost per hour), you can understand the philosophy behind the recruitment of &lt;strong style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;virtual assistants&lt;/strong&gt;. If we say that every hour of your time costs 30 euros, releasing 2-3 hours of tedious and irrelevant tasks could reportarte a daily savings of 100 euros. If we assume that these tasks must be carried out equally if you hire a Virtual Assistant to whom you pay 10 euros/hour (there are more expensive and cheaper), you are saving 70 euros a day, and you can devote your time to other more productive tasks.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;For &lt;strong style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;entrepreneurs&lt;/strong&gt;, and professionals in general, is a really interesting option that only requires a change of mentality (the most difficult). &lt;strong style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Why will I pay someone to spend 3 hours looking for information on the Internet when I can do it myself?&lt;/strong&gt; Because in those three hours you can dedicate to seek for more clients or improve processes and dealing with those clients you already have, which after all is what makes your business run. Since we are talking about professionals who you do not have in your company or business to perform this function, a &lt;strong style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Virtual Assistant solves many problems.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;The trick is in knowing who you hire and where. There are companies in India (Brickwork, for example) that for less than 7 euro/hour are able to do absolutely everything: writing reports, finding information, organizing events, booking tickets, writing articles, answering emails, etc. Brickwork is the kind of company that works well if you work in English, because the cost is infinitely inferior to the benefits and are a great company exclusively dedicated to this (there are many more).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;For those who are in the Latin American market, the ideal is to look for companies in countries where in addition to quality, are conveniente in price per hour. In this case, for those who work in Spain, hiring a virtual assistant in Argentina or Venezuela, is more than profitable. There is nothing more to do than a little searching on Google to find 3-4 companies with experience in the field. It is the philosophy of &lt;strong style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&quot;new rich&quot;,&lt;/strong&gt; to dedicate yourself only to what is important and do what you like, and delegate everything else. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;I already have a list of things I can delegate in the RESPECT blogs management, etc, and I will tell you more when I investigate a little more about the options.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;Source: David Gonz&amp;aacute;lez&lt;br /&gt;July, 2008&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;border-right: medium none; padding-right: 0cm; border-top: medium none; padding-left: 0cm; padding-bottom: 13pt; border-left: medium none; padding-top: 0cm; border-bottom: windowtext 1pt solid; mso-element: para-border-div; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 13.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;Alicia D&amp;iacute;az&lt;br /&gt;CEO&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 13.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;ALD Group &amp;ndash; Virtual Assistance&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aldgroup.com.ar/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;ES-TRAD&quot; style=&quot;color: navy; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD;&quot;&gt;www.aldgroup.com.ar&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;ES-TRAD&quot; style=&quot;color: navy; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD;&quot;&gt;adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>    </item>    <item rdf:about="http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/08/00012-when-should-you-outsource-a-service-benefits-and-risks.html">        <dc:format>text/html</dc:format>        <dc:date>2008-08-14T13:53:29+01:00</dc:date>        <dc:creator>LilianaDiaz</dc:creator>        <title>When should you outsource a service?. Benefits and risks</title>        <link>http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/08/00012-when-should-you-outsource-a-service-benefits-and-risks.html</link>        <description>&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;When we talk about outsourcing, traditionally we refer to hire another firm to perform certain tasks for us: tasks that make our business but not the core business. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This concept is based on the fact that with the high quality requirement demanded by globalization, no company can &quot;do everything&quot; totally efficient, and that there are a number of activities or processes that have nothing to do with the core business, that could be done by others more efficiently and economically. That is to say that what is derived is the achievement of certain internal processes, extremely necessary for the operation of any company, but do not make the fundamental task of the company. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to the company and the activity for which it engages, some activities that normally are subject to outsourcing are logistics, administrative tasks such as billing; selection and training of staff; some production processes such as maintenance of physical assets; some marketing actions such as advertising or market research, and general services such as security, cleaning, catering services and so on. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is important to define what are the strategic themes that add value, which should be maintained within the company, and what can be delegated. When outsourcing is well done, offers enormous benefits in terms of efficiency improvements, cost, etc.. It would allow the company to focus on doing what really does well.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;More than one variant.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;At present there are several ways to outsource a service or process, which we call &quot;in company&quot;, &quot;near shore and off shore.&quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The modality &quot;in company&quot; is to accommodate, within the company itself, a team of people who carry out the service. A clear example is in the cleaning sector or access control. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The so-called &quot;near shore&quot; is to derive the completion of a certain task to other company, which conducts its own office; the simplest case is an accounting bureau which performs billing and / or other administrative tasks for others. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And finally, thanks to the extraordinary development of communications, today it is possible to outsource work in companies that are outside your country, in what is called outsourcing &quot;offshore&quot;. In the computing area, for example, at the international level have been positioned as concerning varios Latin American countries like Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, and others as distant as India or Ireland. But many firms, which initially led some of their processes to companies in India for example, found some unsuspected difficulties. Despite the high professional level there were some difficulties such as work culture, the time difference and the distinctive character or even the accent in English, were barriers to the long term work with companies from other countries. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In this regard, it should be noted that Argentina has a number of comparative advantages that position it in the ideal place to be a center of technological support from foreign market: the proper level of education provided by local universities, the profile of graduates -- middle class, many with a strong level of English-and a great vocation of service.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;When should you outsource?.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;There are occasions when the company prefers to manage their areas of operation in-house, for example in the field of administration or HR. But you should just award a lot of resources to solve the issue, to have specialized staff, acquiring software-and hardware-sometimes, desks and other furniture, train its people, and if necessary implement different strategies such staff motivation and loyalty. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We must add to this, some difficulties that do not make the work itself but have an impact on it, as it is sometimes difficult to find the adequate staff, or very it is too expensive to keep it updated in existing regulations or standards the company intends. Precisely, one of the risks of carrying out such tasks in-house is that it does not result in good quality, or to optimize the performance level and still be allocating more resources, whether in training or infrastructure. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you outsource this type of activity, to a company specialized in this task you can reduce and control costs, obtaining an efficient and updated service, freeing those resources so that the company can focus on the core business. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the area of technology specifically, some of the reasons that many companies decide to outsource operations is that they are &quot;dismantling&quot; its internal structures of technological support. For example, the decision to address a redistribution of resources, the maturation of the technology (and thus itself is quickly outdated and very expensive update), the changing role of the service, professional and higher expectations of course, also the need to address a reduction in costs. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But if the company selects a supplier to outsource a service only by a matter of costs, may be committing a serious mistake. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You should outsource a service, when your are looking for: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. improving efficiency in the results &lt;br /&gt;2. release resources to re-assign them to the the central tasks tof the company.&lt;br /&gt;3. Place the focus on &quot;core business&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: &amp;quot;Courier New&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;The risks of outsourcing&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;br /&gt;The outsorcing should be seen as a much more complex than it seems, as if not handled in an appropriate manner can generate a series of problems. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Firstly, it is very important to outsource a task but not the strategy, or control. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The company must always bear in mind that &quot;the responsibility is not delegated,&quot; and that should be their decision what tasks or processes to delegate, how they should be made, and how to monitor compliance. This means that the strategic role and control should never be delegated. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then, it is essential to define as precisely as possible (first in-house and then in the contract), which tasks or areas will outsource. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In this aspect should participate especially those who know the subject in depth, so to behold in the contract potential problem areas, which can generate a range of &quot;hidden&quot; costs. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here is an example. It was decided to outsource logistics of a product of mass consumption. But the contract does not include any mention of the products will be returned by breakage of packaging, maturity, etc.. And as a result, the company must take charge of collecting &quot;returns&quot;, or pay a premium to the company that has contracted. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In drafting the contract should participate people in charge of the area (that is who knows the topic in greater depth, and can not leave sections of loose ends), and also those responsible for all other sectors that will be affected by outsourcing, as Human Resources, Procurement, Legal and Administration, and of course the General Director of the company. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Moreover, in many cases have occurred in outsourcing operations or processes, for mismanagement, rather than improve organizational performance has been worsened. We know of cases with loss of control of the process, high costs, poor service and problems with the supplier. So there must be a very fluid communication link between the two companies, and a great compatibility in business policies. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Finally, we note that in defining what is going to outsource, we must analyze carefully how they affected the overall processes of the company. For example, if you outsource the billing process, should be seen if this will impact in the area of collections.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;The contract.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;The outsourcing contract must clearly indicate: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. the extent necessary &lt;br /&gt;2. how to measure and monitor the implementation of the task &lt;br /&gt;3. how they conduct the exit, if problems arise &lt;br /&gt;4. how to provide the necessary amendments (ie, under flexibly to changes) &lt;br /&gt;5. development of the service itself, that is, how it will be carried out.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;In conclusion, we can say that if the company has made clear what tasks to outsource, executes all the control, select the vendor based on criteria of responsibility and experience verifiable, and overturn the contract parameters necessary, will provide benefits outsorcing very specific: a job well done, and lower costs. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New';&quot;&gt;by Alberto Morelli, Director of Crystalis Consulting, www.crystalisconsulting.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>    </item>    <item rdf:about="http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/07/00011-6-time-management-tips.html">        <dc:format>text/html</dc:format>        <dc:date>2008-07-08T00:53:17+01:00</dc:date>        <dc:creator>LilianaDiaz</dc:creator>        <title>6 Time Management Tips</title>        <link>http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/07/00011-6-time-management-tips.html</link>        <description>&lt;p&gt;Sometimes I wonder what if, I was given more than 24 hours a day, say an addition 6 hours, would I still need more time to accomplish my daily tasks and have a good night's rest/sleep? I do not forsee the miracle of a 30 hour day anytime soon, so I had better focus on making the most and best of the 24. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How do we go about managing our time effectively and what is time management all about?&lt;br /&gt;Time management involves working efficiently and achieving more whilst spending less time at tasks. Working smarter and not harder to increase productivity should be ones goal.&lt;br /&gt;Below are my keys to effective time management:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Focus on results&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Very little would be achieved when ones effort is placed on the tasks or activities that are least important. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;People find themselves in situations where they are so busy but are not getting positive outcomes or results.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;1- Set goals (daily, weekly, monthly and yearly)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You cannot be effective without having a vision, setting goals let you know what you want and where you are going in life and also where to concentrate your effort. Even if you do get distracted, revisiting your goals will get you right back on track.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;2- Stop procrastinating&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Everyone procrastinates but if you find yourself in a position where your relationships, career and business suffer because you are putting important things off and they build up to where one begins to feel overwhelmed. Hope is not lost, you can start over today! Decide to have a positive attitude about the tasks that you fear the most as they are mostly the things that support our development and success both personal and professional.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;3- Have a to-do list&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A very sensible activity in dieting is to keep a food journal. You never know how much you are eating until you write down everything that passes through your mouth. Having a to-do list is your road map to personal time management. Being realistic is an important factor in effectively managing your to-do list. Are the tasks overly ambitious or is every task thrown into the list? You have to decide what and when a task is included in a to-do list.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;4- Have action plans&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A concise definition found in Best for Business:&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Action Plans are detailed lists which not only lay out the main things to do in order to carry out a specific task, but also explain in detail how to carry out each individual action. Use them to plan your tasks and inform the process.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;Having action plans for short and long-term projects supports the achievement of goals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;5- Delegate&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How does a business owner know what and when to delegate? The &quot;what&quot; can seem fairly challenging except for when the cost of delegating a task is significantly lower compared to performing other tasks that are central to business growth. The &quot;when&quot; could be tasks that continue to be overlooked but are critical to achieving ones goals.&lt;br /&gt;Effective time management is about identifying and focusing on the tasks and activities that will give you the most satisfying return. We don't have to be overworked and stressed out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;6- Using the 80/20 rule&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pareto Principle reminds us to focus on the 20 percent that matters. Of the things that we do during our day, only 20 percent really matter. Those 20 percent produce 80 percent of our results. Identify and focus on those things.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source: Agnes Ikotun ,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alicia D&amp;iacute;az&lt;br /&gt;ALD Group - Virtual Assistance&lt;br /&gt;www.aldgroup.com.ar/en&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&quot;&gt;adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>    </item>    <item rdf:about="http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/06/00010-life-is-about-choices-and-the-decisions-we-make.html">        <dc:format>text/html</dc:format>        <dc:date>2008-06-28T04:14:43+01:00</dc:date>        <dc:creator>LilianaDiaz</dc:creator>        <title>Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make</title>        <link>http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/06/00010-life-is-about-choices-and-the-decisions-we-make.html</link>        <description>&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; color: #990000; font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;&quot;&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Life is like a road. There are long and short roads, smooth and rocky roads, crooked and straight paths. In our life many roads would come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad? &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;There are no guarantees.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent. There are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;Take the risk: decide.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life. But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life&amp;rsquo;s crossroads:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;Get as many information as you can about your situation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W&amp;rsquo;s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;Identify and create options.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;Weigh the pros and cons of every option.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-small; font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-small; font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;Trust yourself and make that decision.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight. So choose&amp;hellip; decide&amp;hellip; believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; color: #202020; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10.5pt; color: #222222; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-small; font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: 15pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10.5pt; color: #222222; font-family: Arial;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-small; font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;Source: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.virtualaccuracy.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-small; color: #000099; font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;Virtual Accuracy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt; by Becki Noles&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 10.5pt; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-small; font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;Becki Noles is the virtual business manager and online marketing dynamo of the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.virtualaccuracy.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-small; color: #000099; font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;Virtual Accuracy Companies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-small; font-family: verdana,geneva;&quot;&gt;. She and her associates work with the top business and marketing coaches in the United States and the world over providing SEO, Pay Per Click, website development and technical virtual assistant services.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alicia D&amp;iacute;az&lt;br /&gt;ALD Group - Virtual Assistance&lt;br /&gt;www.aldgroup.com.ar&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&quot;&gt;adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</description>    </item>    <item rdf:about="http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/06/00009-tell-me-with-whom-you-work-and-i-will-tell-you-if-you-will-be-a-businessman.html">        <dc:format>text/html</dc:format>        <dc:date>2008-06-24T15:31:30+01:00</dc:date>        <dc:creator>LilianaDiaz</dc:creator>        <title>Tell me with whom you work and I will tell you if you will be a businessman</title>        <link>http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/06/00009-tell-me-with-whom-you-work-and-i-will-tell-you-if-you-will-be-a-businessman.html</link>        <description>&lt;p&gt;Source: iEco &amp;ndash; Clar&amp;iacute;n.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Few entrepreneurs launch businesses without prior experience in dependency ratio. A Harvard research suggests that the likelihood of trying to resign with a personal project depends on the characteristics of his colleagues in office&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By MATERIABIZ | &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:redaccion@materiabiz.com&quot;&gt;redaccion@materiabiz.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Several studies about entrepreneurship indicate that entrepreneurship in the likelihood that a person waives his job to try with a personal project depends on their degree of tolerance for corporate bureaucracy and its desire for independence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, a research from Harvard Business School suggests considering a new factor: the influence of colleagues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Indeed, while most colleagues in office have proved lucky, someday, with a personal project, the more likely you decided to forgo the convenience of suffocating corporate offices to venture into the uncertain world of entrepreneurs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Basically, warns research at Harvard, the influence comes through on two factors:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1- &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;The flow of information and resources&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The networks of contacts are crucial in the movement of resources and information. So if you have colleagues with experience as entrepreneurs, you'll probably have a number of key resources to launch your own business.&lt;br /&gt;His colleagues can advise you (albeit informally, during lunch time) on how to start a project and may even offer their own contacts to help in the early days&lt;br /&gt;2- &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Influence on decisions&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Colleagues experienced entrepreneurs also play an important role in the demystification of many erroneous beliefs about entrepreneurship that often tarnish the cost-benefit assessments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For someone used to working in dependency ratio, the universe of the entrepreneur may seem a risky jungle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thus, prejudices lead to an overestimation of the risks and a decision biased towards remaining in the company.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Therefore, the daily contact with a colleague who has been in the &quot;jungle&quot; serves to demolish prejudices and make a more impartial assessment of the costs and benefits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But of course, one wonders: &quot;if this former entrepreneur now works in dependency ratio, means that he hasn&amp;rsquo;t done well with its project. So, how could exert a positive influence for another try what?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While critics seem reasonable, empirical data also indicate that attempts to entrepreneurship remain highest among persons with colleagues who have been entrepreneurs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And the fact that a person has failed in a personal endeavor, does not necessarily mean that he regrests for having tried.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is possible that he wants to encourage a colleague who is considering follow the same path.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alicia D&amp;iacute;az&lt;br /&gt;ALD Group - Virtual Assistance&lt;br /&gt;www.aldgroup.com.ar/en&lt;br /&gt;adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&lt;/p&gt;</description>    </item>    <item rdf:about="http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/06/00008-give-yourself-a-raise-get-an-assistant.html">        <dc:format>text/html</dc:format>        <dc:date>2008-06-24T15:18:03+01:00</dc:date>        <dc:creator>LilianaDiaz</dc:creator>        <title>Give Yourself a Raise — Get an Assistant</title>        <link>http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/06/00008-give-yourself-a-raise-get-an-assistant.html</link>        <description>&lt;p&gt;Is your &amp;ldquo;to do&amp;rdquo; list longer than your arm? Are you so busy taking care of the urgent that you never get to the important? Do you consider the thought of getting some help but then think &amp;ldquo;I can&amp;rsquo;t afford it&amp;rdquo; or &amp;ldquo;No one can do it as well as I can&amp;rdquo;?If so, you&amp;rsquo;ve got a lot in common with most other small business owners.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Owning your own business is a great achievement and requires you to wear a lot of hats: owner, marketer, finance manager, widget maker/service provider, etc. Wearing all these hats eventually leads to a state of burnout or overwhelm and the love, the passion for what made you start your own business in the first place drowns in all the details.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you want to grow your business AND maintain your sanity, there are two things you need to accept:&lt;br /&gt;1. It&amp;rsquo;s not just okay to delegate, it&amp;rsquo;s essential to your survival.&lt;br /&gt;2. A virtual assistant or online business manager (whichever description you prefer) is an investment in your business &amp;ndash; not just an expense.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consider the following scenario:&lt;br /&gt;You own a small business as a marketing guru who makes $150/hour. Your website crashes and you spend the next five hours calling your webmaster, testing different links, doing what you can to get it back up and running. The five hours that you just spent cost you $750.&lt;br /&gt;If you had a virtual assistant whom you pay $50 an hour and she solved the problem in four hours (she would be 100% focused on this task and has likely encountered similar issues with other clients), the cost would be $200.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The word &amp;ldquo;cost&amp;rdquo; is based on a simple premise. If you are fixing your website, you are not making money. You could otherwise be engaged in billable tasks or you could have completed the new client proposal that brings you a $10,000 client &amp;ndash; neither of which is possible if you are fixing the website.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make Sense?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Over the next week, keep a time log and track everything you do using this FREE Productivity Tracker. Then sit down and make a list of all those tasks that you either shouldn&amp;rsquo;t be doing (not worth your time given the sacrifice) or hate doing. Here are a few things that immediately come to mind:&lt;br /&gt;* Maintaining your website&lt;br /&gt;* Bookkeeping &amp;ndash; both invoicing clients and paying bills, providing accountant with data, reconciling bank statements, preparing your expense reports, etc.&lt;br /&gt;* Submitting articles to article sites&lt;br /&gt;* Researching competition&lt;br /&gt;* Maintaining your mailing lists &amp;ndash; online and offline&lt;br /&gt;* Coordinating vendor activities&lt;br /&gt;* Reminding you about birthdays, arranging for cards and gifts to be sent&lt;br /&gt;* Spending hours on the phone with any type of support vendor (Microsoft and Comcast pop into my head here)&lt;br /&gt;* Creating and distributing prospect letters&lt;br /&gt;* Handling all your travel arrangements &amp;ndash; business and personal&lt;br /&gt;* Scheduling meetings, conference calls, etc.&lt;br /&gt;* Providing you with website and sales reports&lt;br /&gt;* Designing presentations for client meetings (e.g., formatting in PowerPoint)&lt;br /&gt;* Ordering office supplies, promotional items&lt;br /&gt;* Placing advertising &amp;ndash; online and offline&lt;br /&gt;* Managing client mailings &amp;ndash; promotional, holiday, sales, etc.&lt;br /&gt;* The list goes on. . .&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each person&amp;rsquo;s list will be unique to him. You may love the clarity of mind you get stuffing envelopes but run at the thought of reconciling your checking account.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And don&amp;rsquo;t stop at the above. What are those personal things that you&amp;rsquo;re doing that you could contract out so you can focus on growing your business? A teenager would be great for any of the following:&lt;br /&gt;* Grocery shopping&lt;br /&gt;* Housekeeping&lt;br /&gt;* Laundry assistant&lt;br /&gt;* Mow the lawn&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don&amp;rsquo;t think you can afford an assistant?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first thing to remember is that virtual assistants charge you only for the time they are ACTUALLY WORKING on YOUR projects and you will most likely not need someone full time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You would pay a traditional employee a salary, sick time, vacation time, holiday time, provide a desk and office space, pay for training, pay payroll taxes, provide software and equipment and do all this for someone who likely considers what you are offering as a J O B that he needs to go to every day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a virtual assistant, you are paying an independent contractor who owns her own business and charges only for time she works on your projects, has her own office and equipment, pays her own taxes, is already trained in multiple software applications and who loves what she does.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Virtual Assistants are self-motivated and focused on getting things done FOR YOU. This will greatly free up your time to focus on marketing your business, attending to your larger clients and generally growing your business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Given the above can you afford NOT to hire an assistant?&lt;br /&gt;The key is to start at a level where you feel comfortable: both financially and delegation-wise. Anything that you can give to someone else will give you more time to do what you do best and grow your business!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About the Author&lt;br /&gt;Online Business Success Coach &amp;amp; Entrepreneur, Sandra Martini teaches small business owners how to create more success in their business while maintaining their sanity and having fun. For more information and to receive the FREE special report, &amp;ldquo;7 Wealth-Building Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs&amp;rdquo;, go to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.online-biz-coach.com/&quot; title=&quot;http://www.Online-Biz-Coach.com&quot;&gt;http://www.Online-Biz-Coach.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alicia D&amp;iacute;az&lt;br /&gt;ALD Group - Virtual Assistance&lt;br /&gt;www.aldgroup.com.ar/en&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&quot;&gt;adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>    </item>    <item rdf:about="http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/06/00007-getting-ready-to-delegate.html">        <dc:format>text/html</dc:format>        <dc:date>2008-06-24T15:15:14+01:00</dc:date>        <dc:creator>LilianaDiaz</dc:creator>        <title>Getting ready to delegate</title>        <link>http://virtualassistance.blogcindario.com/2008/06/00007-getting-ready-to-delegate.html</link>        <description>&lt;p&gt;Regardless of their area of expertise, new business owners often find themselves filling the roles of salesperson, customer service rep, webmaster, office manager, and many others. This can be a practical solution, as it&amp;rsquo;s difficult to justify paying someone else to perform these functions when you have time, but not money, to spare. However, if all goes well, the day will arrive when you no longer have time to efficiently maintain all of these roles. Unfortunately, most business owners don&amp;rsquo;t prepare for this day, and as a result, they are forced to work more and more hours as they continue juggling multiple roles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This situation can be avoided by following a strategy described in Michael Gerber&amp;rsquo;s bestselling book, &amp;ldquo;The E-Myth Revisited.&amp;rdquo; Gerber suggests that you prepare from the outset for the day when you need to start delegating to employees or outside services, by preparing an organizational chart for your business, complete with job descriptions for each position you currently occupy. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This will allow you to identify the jobs you can delegate as your business grows, and because you&amp;rsquo;ve already prepared formal job descriptions, the transition will be less disruptive and stressful than if it is forced upon you when you are overwhelmed and overworked. If you&amp;rsquo;re already at that point, there are some steps you can and must take now, if you don&amp;rsquo;t wish to jeopardize your physical and mental health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First, you need to take time to identify how you are spending your working hours. You&amp;rsquo;ll probably find that most of your activities will fit into one of the following categories:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;1. Key Tasks&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Activities which contribute directly to your business goals are typically management functions and as a business owner, they should be your biggest priority. Unfortunately, when you are trying to do everything yourself, these tasks are often pushed aside so you can deal with day-to-day concerns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;2. Essential Tasks&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You are likely spending close to half of your time on meetings, telephone calls, email, report writing, and other activities that are necessary, but not related to planning and managing your business. Delegating one or more of these routine tasks will free up time for your key tasks, and may even let you spend fewer hours working.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;3. Useful Tasks&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tasks such as purging outdated material from your files should also be considered for delegation. These activities, although not critical to your business, will typically make your work environment more efficient and/or more pleasant in the long run.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you begin tracking your activities, you may be amazed to realize how much time you waste shuffling papers, looking for misplaced items, dealing with interruptions, and performing other tasks that make no contribution to your business. Taking time to identify these non-productive activities and to develop strategies to eliminate them will not only enable you to work more efficiently, but will give you time to organize your work in a way that you can delegate more easily.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The next step is to review the essential and useful tasks identified in step 1, and to list those that you may be able to delegate. You may wish to start with those you dislike, those for which you lack skills, or those that will be least expensive for you to pay someone else to do. Once you&amp;rsquo;ve determined what will have the biggest impact on your time and stress management, you can begin to look at potential delegatees and any further steps that may be needed in order to transfer the work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The steps described above deal with the practical side of getting ready to delegate, but for many business owners, there is another side that is equally, if not more challenging. When you are used to doing everything yourself, it may be difficult to relinquish control, fearing that no one will do things exactly the way you do. For some, delegating for the first time can be as emotionally wrenching as a parent leaving a child with a sitter for the first time, but just as time away from you is essential to your child&amp;rsquo;s development, delegation is equally vital to the growth of your business. Once you accept this fact and begin to delegate, you will never look back. Many of my clients have expressed how liberated they felt after they started to use my virtual assistant services, and I had the same experience when I handed over my bookkeeping to a professional earlier this year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;rsquo;re still in doubt about the benefits of delegation, consider these words from Harold Taylor, author of &amp;ldquo;Delegate: The&lt;br /&gt;Key to Successful Management&amp;rdquo; - &amp;ldquo;Without delegation, small businesses remain small.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get ready to delegate - get ready to grow!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About the Author&lt;br /&gt;Janet Barclay, Master Virtual Assistant and founder of Organized Assistant, provides administrative assistance and website services to coaches, professional organizers and other small business clients. Learn more about Janet and her business by visiting her website &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organizedassistant.com/&quot; title=&quot;http://www.organizedassistant.com&quot;&gt;http://www.organizedassistant.com&lt;/a&gt; and her blog &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.janetbarclay.com/&quot; title=&quot;http://www.janetbarclay.com&quot;&gt;http://www.janetbarclay.com&lt;/a&gt;. To receive monthly tips for Maximizing Your Time and Space, request a subscription to her ezine, The Organized Assistant Resource&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alicia D&amp;iacute;az&lt;br /&gt;ALD Group - Virtual Assistance&lt;br /&gt;www.aldgroup.com.ar/en&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&quot;&gt;adiaz@aldgroup.com.ar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>    </item></rdf:RDF>